Public Spot scenarios make use of the widespread (W)LAN technologies based on the internationally established IEEE 802.11/802.3 standards:
- Access via WLANs provides fast, uncomplicated network access by radio. WLAN adapters are standard equipment for mobile devices and they support bandwidths that even allow the smooth playback of HD videos.
- With automatic address allocation via DHCP, access via LAN is similarly uncomplicated: Most notebooks feature a LAN adapter for the network cable.
When accessing via LAN the user loses mobility and uninterrupted flexibility. However, this access – assuming that a corresponding infrastructure is available – also provides stable network operation with the highest network load (for example, for multimedia content such as video-on-demand) and a higher number of users (for example, in a large hotel), where connections via WLAN may reach their limits sooner. It is also possible to add a Public Spot offering to an existing cable infrastructure (for example, in a college) with the use of a Public Spot via LAN.
Noteworthy issues of access using (W)LAN
Operating conventional WLAN access points or LAN routers as a Public Spot is made more difficult by the fact that user authentication is only possible by RADIUS/802.1X, which requires a corresponding configuration. For this reason, the use of devices without the Public Spot function is not practical, since these devices are not able to separate and log the specific network usage of authorized and unauthorized users of publicly accessible networks.
